Malaga buses

[Class800]

Anyone used buses in Malaga or Torremolinos? When I was there recently, the fella would only take cards from locals and was really grumpy about change. Not easy when you're so far away from home. Is it just a bad moment, or is there some sort of system to decipher?

 

[burns20]

My partner used the trains and buses around Malaga and Torremolinos last month.

Their experience was local Malaga buses are Contactless or Coins only, change in coins only is given for the €1.40 fare

 

[James H]

We bought a local Bonobus card - soon paid for itself

 

[Class800]

My partner used the trains and buses around Malaga and Torremolinos last month.

Their experience was local Malaga buses are Contactless or Coins only, change in coins only is given for the €1.40 fare

This driver didn't want card from non locals! Not sure if they had different card or not. Good to know most of them would take it you think

 

[nwales58]

Was it that the locals had stored value cards? Driver might have assumed visitors were trying to use EMV cards which would not work.

 

[ThisIsSurbiton]

Fares are complicated, but cheap.

Torremolinos has a 10-journey ticket but I think it's only valid on the local routes. In Málaga, EMT has a similar card product on their excellent network with changes within the hour included, and you really can pay with contactless bank cards on many (most? all?) buses - those with the usual logo. There is a separate validator for them.

If travelling more widely or between the areas the transport authority (Consorcio de Transporte) has their own card that can be used for PAYG on all modes but contains an extra complication - it is configured for the number of zones you need at purchase or whenever more money is added. In practice that might not matter as the fares are so cheap, so you can overpay. There is a small charge when changing vehicles (except between Málaga urban buses). The card can be used in other Andalusian regions where it follows whatever impenetrable fare structure they have.

On trains, IIRC these cards (unbelievably) are used to buy a ticket from a machine, which might end up on Renfe's own contactless ticket . Contactless bank cards can be used on the local trains C1 and C2.

 

[Class800]

Great, might just have been a blip. M-110 from Torrequebrada to Torremolinos, driver said no card then what did he do, take a card from the local behind me. There was a reader!

 

[nwales58]

There was a reader!

Yes, but did you see whether the reader had the contactless EMV logo on it or not? E.g. Oyster-only instead of Oyster+contactless.

@ThisIsSurbiton describes the wonderful systems. I have about 3 credit-sized plastic cards (not the short limited use paper ‘supports’) from a spell in Spain a few years ago. E.g. Seville’s could only be used to load Seville tickets or PAYG balance onto.

Having to load onto a Renfe&tu card a ticket bought from a stored value card is hilarious. We shouldn’t be so nasty about ITSO, at least the architecture was meant to be useable.

 

[Class800]

No I just saw reader and presumed that's for bank cards as 'as you do' - but I'll check more carefully if I go back

 

[riceuten]

A couple of years ago, I visited Alicante, and the stored value cards gave a considerable discount over cash fares. Unfortunately, the only place you could obtain them was an single office in the city centre.

In Valencia, there was an transport authority office at the airport, which was very handy, who sold us smart cards and credit.

Wikivoyage has a fair bit of information

"With the green travel card of CTMAM you can use all means of public transport in and around Malaga (metro, commuter trains (Cercanías), city and regional buses) for a lower price. The card can be bought in tobacco shops for €1.50 and must be charged with at least €5 (Nov 2024). There are other travel cards from Metro Málaga (covers city buses as well) & EMT Tarjeta Transbordo (see below) but this card is for buses only"

I would imagine the Tabacs probably frequently don't have the cards. I had a similar experience in Palma de Mallorca

CTMAM has a page in English (https://ctmam.es/en/transport-tickets/travel-card/)

 

[TinTin56]

The green buses in the Malaga district only take the green Concorcio bus card or cash. The bus card is mostly sold in Tabacco shops, but I know of one area in Benalmadena where it is the local newsagent instead. Green bus journeys between roughly Calahonda in the west to Rincon Victoria in the east are currently discounted to 50-60 cents. Since late last year the green card offers a similar discounted fare on the local trains, but you must tap in and out, otherwise you will be charged the maximum fare of €2.99.

 

[Class800]

The green buses in the Malaga district only take the green Concorcio bus card or cash. The bus card is mostly sold in Tabacco shops, but I know of one area in Benalmadena where it is the local newsagent instead. Green bus journeys between roughly Calahonda in the west to Rincon Victoria in the east are currently discounted to 50-60 cents. Since late last year the green card offers a similar discounted fare on the local trains, but you must tap in and out, otherwise you will be charged the maximum fare of €2.99.

So it's not just one driver? But as there's a reader they can take bank card (and in my view should to be helpful to tourists, helps the economy) but together are choosing not to do so. Quite weird

 

[signed]

In Valencia, there was an transport authority office at the airport, which was very handy, who sold us smart cards and credit.

In Valencia, nowadays the system has changed, along with the Singles, you have the SUMA integrated ticketing for all Metro, Metrobus and EMT Valencia buses in one period pass.

You can get either a (reloadable) paper (0.30€) or plastic smartcard (2€) along with the period pass.

 

[ThisIsSurbiton]

So it's not just one driver? But as there's a reader they can take bank card (and in my view should to be helpful to tourists, helps the economy) but together are choosing not to do so. Quite weird

Well, operators' own cards were in use here long before contactless payment was accepted. And I'm not sure having the card reader is enough - everywhere else I've been in the rest of Europe contactless payment has been with a separate card reader. I don't know if this is some limitation of the hardware, banking regulations or something else. Authorities and operators are also too keen on hanging on to their own solutions when bank cards are the obvious way to go. TfL was unusually selfless in this regard!

 

[DeverseSam]

So it's not just one driver? But as there's a reader they can take bank card (and in my view should to be helpful to tourists, helps the economy) but together are choosing not to do so. Quite weird

This tourist would like to use the existing systems and low fares rather than install new ones which would be reflected in higher fares!

 

[Class800]

Not suggesting installing new systems just using the reader that's there, so that people don't need to mess about with change or even end up not being able to travel - they're stubborn it seems, so think we've taken this as far as we can!